Thinking of taking tg to europe

[SiriusBlack]

Greetings, this is my first post on this board. I'm thinking of taking my Thai girlfriend to Europe for a holiday. How hard is this? Are some European countries easier for her to visit than others? She has a passport but has never used it. Any information is much appreciated, sorry if my question is a little vague.

[the scouser]

Whichever country in Europe you take her to she will require a visa from the relevant embassy in BKK. The chances of success will largely depend upon her circumstances in Thailand; ie.e does she have a job/savings/children etc. Also are you taking her to your home country or just taking her on a holiday around many European countries? This too could influence the outcome. If you wish to visit European states which are signatories of the Schengen agreement then one visa is good for all of those countries for a maximum overall stay of 3 months. However, the UK, for example, hasn't signed up to the treaty so a separate visa would be necessary if she also wished to visit the UK.

If you can be a bit more specific I can give more detailed advice.

Regards,

Scouse.

[SiriusBlack]

Hi Scouser,

Thanks for your reply. I'm a Canadian, I just want to take her on a trip to Europe for fun. A tour of Schengenland would probably be just right. She has no savings though she does own land in her own name. She's never worked in a bar, whether that is relevant or not I don't know.

Are any of the Schengen countries particularly hassle-free?

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Has she got a job ?  They are all going to look for a compelling reason for her to return home after the holiday

[SiriusBlack]

Well, she has a job, but it's nothing professional or "serious." She does, however, own property.

[the scouser]

Hi Sirius,

OK, the fact that you are not taking your g/f to your home country for a holiday will ease the process of getting her a visa for a European country; e.g. if you took her to Canada for a holiday the belief would be that neither you nor she would return to Thailand but settle in Canada instead.

When you apply for the visa make it clear to the embassy that you will be accompanying her and, if this is the case, that you will return to Thailand together. There is no guarantee of success but you can but try.

They will look at her circumstances in Thailand but if you can convince the embassy staff that you are genuinely taking your g/f on a simple holiday then there should be little difficulty. One thought that may cross their minds is that you're taking her to Europe to work in prostitution, so make sure you have plenty of photos of the two of you together/letters/phone bills etc that you can show and which prove that you've known each other for a long time.

As I said in my previous post if you are going to travel around the Schengen countries then 1 visa fits all and you can go to the embassy at which you believe it will be easiest to get the visa! I can't remember all of the Schengen countries but here a few of them:- Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Portugal.

Hope it helps,

Scouse.

[the scouser]

Oops, our posts crossed there. If she has property that's great because it gives her an incentive to return to Thailand.

Scouse.

[Whiplash]

Sirius,

If she has work, she will have to produce documents of that affect, and that her employer gives her time off to go with you.

Also she have to produce evidence of support during the holiday, if she have her own money, or if you are the person who will take care of her finacially. copy of bankbook or the number of the account at the bank so they can check there is enough funds for the duration of the stay.

+ she must have valid travel insurance.

And you have to show proof that she has a returnticket as well.

But I think most details of this would be available on the diffferent countrys website.

[Khun ?]

Not sure this will be so easy. I tried it before to germany where I was employed by a foreign government and they would not let me do it. How could they make you responsible for her if she ended up not going back to Thailand. You are Canadian so it may be hard but who knows. It was 10 years ago when I tried. This would be a easy way to be in the sex trade if you look at it. Not your problem she ran off.

[SiriusBlack]

Thanks everyone for your insights. Having been in Thailand so long, where there are posted rules and then there are "rules" that are unwritten, it didn't even occur to me to look at each embassy's website. I'll be sure to make it clear that we're traveling together and coming back to Thailand together.

[12call]

why do you state that she has never worked in a bar? ???